UNIVERSITY OF SAINT LOUIS

Tuguegarao City

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION, ARTS and SCIENCES

First Semester
A.Y. 2021-2022

CORRESPONDENCE LEARNING MODULE

CFED 1013- God’s Journey with His People

Prepared by:

MR. MICHAEL ANGELO AGUDO

MISS THELMA BARICAUA, MARS
MISS SARAH MARIE IBAY
MISS MICA TALAY
MRS. ESPERANZA ZABLAN
MISS CHARISSA ZALUN

Reviewed by:

WILSON TEMPORAL, LPT, MST

CFED DEPARTMENT HEAD

Recommended by:

VENUS I. GUYOS, Ph.D.

Academic Dean

Approved by:

EMMANUEL JAMES PATTAGUAN, Ph.D.

Vice President for Academics

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 School of Education, Arts and Sciences
Teacher Education Department
Curriculum 2019-2020

This Week’s Time Table: (August 31-September 4, 2021)

For this week, the following shall be your guide for the different lessons and tasks that you need to accomplish.
Oops! Be patient, read them carefully before proceeding to the tasks expected of you.

HAVE A FRUITFUL LEARNING EXPERIENCE 😊

Date Topics Activities or Tasks

August 31- Canon of the Bible Read Lessons
September 1
September 2-3 Biblical Interpretation Read Lessons
Chapters and Verses
September 4 Submission of learning tasks Accomplish the worksheet in the
Participation portion of this module

CORRESPONDENCE LEARNING MODULE

CFED 1013 (God’s Journey with His People)
AY 2021-2022

Lesson 3: The Canon of the Bible

Topic: Canon of the Bible, Biblical Interpretation, Chapter and Verses

Learning Outcomes: At the end of this module, you are expected to:

1. explain the necessary processes and discernment in the compilation of the so-called Bible;
2. elucidate the meaning of Biblical inspiration, canonicity and interpretation;
3. differentiate exegesis with eisegesis as Biblical analysis using sample interpretations provided.

LEARNING CONTENTS:

BIBLICAL CANON
Explanation of Terms

Etymologically the word Canon comes from Latin

‘Canon’ which is a translation of Greek word, derived from
Hebrew, meaning bar or rod used for measuring. As a tool for
measuring, like a ruler or T-square it is used as a basis to draw a
straight line. Symbolically the word canon is applied as
norm or standard in proclaiming an official teaching of the Church. Adopted with Christian importance the
word was used in the Canon of Saints, Canon of the Mass, and Canon of the Bible. These examples suggest
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that there are official contents which we must observe as standard, thus, outside these lists, invalidates its
connection to the Church’s teachings.

We are now ready to define the term Biblical Canon.

It is a collection or a list of books which the Church receives as divinely inspired and which she
considers as norm of faith and morals. We say that the Bible is a library--- books within a book. Librarians must
make an account of all the books which the library had acquired. Like a librarian, the Church takes into account
the list of books to be treated as the official roster which we should uphold as divinely inspired. Thus, the
Church has the authority to approve and reject a book to be included in the Scriptures.

With these in mind, let us look at the

relationship of Biblical Inspiration and Biblical
Canon . Inspiration is the work of the Holy Spirit
while canonicity is the work of the Church .
Inspiration is simultaneous with the composition
since the Holy Spirit inspired the human authors .
Canon of the Bible simply means the Church just
collected and compiled into one the books which
passed the criteria as being inspired by the Holy
Spirit . The Church recognizes this book as the
Word of God for our Salvation . As sacred and
inspired, it becomes Canonical.

The Catholic Church recognizes two groups

of Canonical Books--- Protocanonical and
Deuterocanonical Books.

Proto is a Greek word which means first. Protocanonical Books belong to the first collection of books
(Canon) of which the Church had no difficulty in accepting their inspired character. They easily passed the
criteria as being inspired by the Holy Spirit. These are the 39 books of the Old Testament and the 27 books of
the New Testament.

Deutero is also a Greek word, meaning second. Deuterocanonical Books belong to the second canon.
These books were carefully discerned and even disputed before being accepted by the Church as inspired.
The Deuterocanonical Books are the books of Judith, Tobit, Baruch, Wisdom, Sirach, 1 Maccabees
and 2 Maccabees. Moreover, there are some books which came out after the death of the Apostles which are
not inspired. These books are called Apocryphal Books. The word apokriptus in Greek means hidden. Thus,
in order for the readers not to be misled with the teachings of the uninspired books, the Church invalidates its
credibility as a norm of faith and morals.

In order not to be confused with the Bible editions that we have today, it is also good to know that the
Protestants who only came out later in the 16th Century followed the Jewish groups who did not recognize the
Deuterocanonical Books as inspired. So, in order to know if our Bible is a Catholic one, we look at its list if the
Deuterocanonical Books are included.

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Events that will support the inclusion of the 7 Deutero-Canonical books

1. Septuagint or LXX: This was a Greek translation of the

Old Testament by 72 Jewish Scholars in Egypt upon the request
of King Ptolemy Philadelphus around 300-200 BC. The Jewish
scholars translated their scriptures from Hebrew to Greek and they
came out with 46 copies (OT). This means that the 7 deutero-
canonical books had their original bases but these copies may
have been destroyed or were not preserved. This Septuagint
version of the Old Testament was also used by the Apostles.

2. Dead Sea Scrolls: This event had

happened after the Canon of the Bible was finalized,
but greatly proves that the inclusion of the 7 deutero-
canonical books in the Bible is correct. Between the
years 1947 and 1956 they discovered scrolls in
eleven caves along the Northwest shore of the Dead
Sea which were ancient copies of all the 46 Old
Testament books, these copies were most likely
written by the Essenes around 200 BC.

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The canon of Scriptures is divided into the books written before Jesus’ life (Old Testament) and those written
after (New Testament). Guided by the Holy Spirit, the Church determined the inspired and normative New
Testament Books in terms of their apostolic origin, coherence with the essential Gospel Message, and
constant use in the Church’s Liturgy. After a long development, the Church finally accepted as inspired, sacred
and canonical, the 46 books of the Old Testament and the 27 books of the New Testament that we find in our
Catholic Bible.

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 Biblical Interpretation
As divinely inspired, the Bible carries truth. Moreover, in
getting the meaning of the text we must treat truth objectively. The
meaning of the text is not always in its literal sense but employing
some methodic ways of hermeneutics, there is a need to dig the
meaning of it. We should also understand that in reading the Bible,
we may encounter a lot of scientific and historical errors. Even though
the Bible is speaking about science and history, it is not trying to
present facts about them, for the purpose of the Bible is the self-
disclosure of God to us and treating this as the Word of God for us
and for our salvation.

The Bible is a book written in different literary styles. Thus, in

order for us to be led to the meaning of the text it is deem necessary
to discuss some literary genres present in the Scriptures.

Some of the Major Genres within the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament)
1. Foundational Myths and Legends- Narratives about the beginning of the world, the first generations of
humans, early years of nation, intended to provide a foundational world-view upon which people base their
communal and individual lives. (Ex. Gen, parts of Exod., Num, and Deut)

2. Legal Codes- collection of laws by which the people are to live (Lev, parts of Exod, Num, Deut)

3. Genealogies- lists of inter-relationships between peoples, either of successive generations or different

nations (Parts of Gen, much of Num)

4. Annals- semi-historical narrative accounts of decisive events in a nation’s life that gives emphasis on the
political and military exploits of its leaders. (Josh, Jdg, 1 & 2 Sam, 1 & 2 Kings)

5. Prophetic Books- collection of oracles or words of God spoken to the people through human intermediaries
and the symbolic actions they perform at God’s direction for the people’s benefit (Isaiah, Jeremiah, etc.)

6. Psalms- poetic lyrics of songs/ hymns intended for communal worship and individual prayer. (Psalms)

7. Laments- words addressed by people to God, especially reflecting situations of crisis or laments

8. Proverbs- generalized sayings and aphorisms containing advice on how to live well: “do good and avoid
evil”

9. Apocalypses- symbolic narratives that interpret historical crises through God’s eyes to provide hope for a
better future. (Dan)

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 Some of the Major Genres within the New Testament
1. Gospels- proclamation of the “good news” about Jesus intended to establish/ strengthen people’s faith in
Him; quasi-biographical, semi-historical portraits of the life, teachings, and actions of Jesus (Mt, Mk, Lk, Jn)
The gospels contain many sub-genres of literature.

2. Acts- a partial narrative account about the beginnings and the growth of early Christianity; not a complete
history of the early Church, since it focuses only on the actions of few missionary leaders.

3. Letter/Epistles- real letters addressing practical and theological issues relevant to particular communities

4. Homily/ Sermon- an exegetical sermon that cites and interprets older biblical texts in reference to Jesus.
(Heb)

5. Enyclicals- more stylized works in letter format; circular letters intended for broader audiences. (1 & 2 Pt)

6. Apocalypse- a vividly symbolic narrative that “reveals” God’s views about a historical crisis in order to
provide encouragement for a difficult present and hope for a better future. (Rev)

Smaller Genres and Sub-Genres within New Testament:

• The New Testament Gospel contain narrative materials, discourse materials, and some mixed genres:
• Narrative genres include the following:
-genealogies
-narrators introductions, transitions and summary passages
-miracle stories
-call and sending stories
-conflict or controversy stories
• Discourse genres include the following:
-parables and allegories
-laws and legal interpretations
-short exhortations: individual sayings or proverbs
-longer speeches: discourses or monologues

There are two kinds of interpreting the Biblical Text. The first one is Exegesis, It is the exposition of a
text based on a careful, objective analysis. The word exegesis literally means “to lead out of” that means that
the interpreter is being led to his conclusions by following the text.

Exegesis is drawing out the meaning of the text after considering its background or context such as the
background of the author, his styles of writing and delivering his message to his audience, the audience of the
author, the time and situation of the audience to mention few. With this method, the interpreter will be able to
determine the message of the Biblical text. According to Catechism of Filipino Catholics 92-96, there are at
least four factors which play significant part in interpreting the Scripture: (i) the inspired human author’s
intention, (ii) the text itself, (iii) the reader of the text, (iv) the common horizon connecting the original
community context of the text with our community reading today.

Eisegesis, is the interpretation of a passage based on a subjective, non-analytical reading. The word
eisegesis literally means “to lead into,” which means the interpreter injects his own ideas into the text, making
it mean whatever he wants. This kind of interpretation may be implied during reflection, Bible sharing, and
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personal prayers. However, the task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God has been
entrusted to the living teaching office of the Church alone. (Dei Verbum No. 10)

Between the two methods of interpreting the text in the Bible, Exegesis is the proper or highly
recommended, as it is being used by the official interpreters of the Bible.

Why is the need to do exegesis in interpreting the Bible? First, we must know or be aware that we do
not have the copy of the original Sacred Scriptures which were written in Hebrew and Greek. All the Bible
editions that we have today are just translations from the original manuscripts. Even in the process of
translating the scriptures, there is/are “dagdag-bawas” if the translator is not careful. Remember that the
translations/editions are most often not in exact words or not literal. This means that the words in the
translations may not capture the exact meaning of the words in the original manuscript. Second, we are not the
original audience of the authors of the Sacred Scriptures. These were the Israelites. This means that the
worldview and message of the authors were focused on their direct audience. Third, the situation of the original
audience may not be the same with our situation at present. So, with these important reminders, we cannot
directly apply the words of the Bible to us but a lot of it should be re-appropriated or be contextualized to our
situation at present.

Chapters and Verses

When the Bible was compiled there were no chapters and verses yet. Stephen Langton, Archbishop of
Canterbury divided the Bible into chapters only in 1227. Later, Robert Stephanus divided the Bible into verses
only in 1551.

How to read Chapters and Verses in the Bible?

Genesis 3:16
The word Genesis represents the book, the first number before the colon (3) represents the chapter
while the number after the colon (16) represents the verse. The above sample reads as Genesis chapter 3
verse 16.

*** END of LESSON **

PARTICIPATION
Directions: Read and analyze the text found in column B and find appropriate category among the
MAJOR GENRES of the bible as found in column A Write your answers on the provided worksheet
below(for the CLM students).

Column A Column B

1. Annals In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless
wasteland, and darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over the waters.

2. Apocalypses How in the Lord’s wrath has detested daughter Zion! He has cast down from heaven to

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 earth the glory of Israel. Unmindful of his footstool on the day of His wrath. The Lord has
consumed without pity all the dwelling of Jacob; He has torn down in His anger the
fortress of daughter Judah; He has brought to the ground in dishonor her king and her
princes.

3. Foundational Myths If the community of Israel inadvertently and without even being aware of it does
and Legends something that the Lord has forbidden and thus makes itself guilty, should it later
become known that the sin was committed, the community shall present a young bull as
a sin offering.

4. Genealogies Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The former heaven and the former
earth has passed away, and the sea was no more. I also saw the holy city, a
new Jerusalem coming down out of the heavens from God prepared as a bride
adorned for her husband.

5. Laments Thus, the total number of generations from Abraham to David is fourteen
generations; from David to the Babylonian Exile, fourteen generations; from the
Babylonian Exile to the Messiah, fourteen generations.

6. Legal Codes Rejoice you just in the Lord; praise from the upright is fitting. Give thanks to the
Lord on the harp; on the ten-stringed lyre offer praise. Sing to the Lord a new
song; skillfully play with joyful chant. For the Lord’s word is true; all His works are
trustworthy, The Lord loves justice and right; and fill the earth with goodness.

7. Letter/Epistles Rehoboam, son of Solomon, reigned in Judah. He was forty-one years old when
he became king and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city in which
out of all tribes of Israel, the Lord chose to be honored. His mother was the
Ammonite named Naamah. Rehoboam rested with his ancestors; he was buried
with them in the City of David. His son Abijam succeeded him as king.

8. Prophetic Books He who loves correction loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid…
(Prophesies) A wise son loves correction, but the senseless one heeds no rebuke.

9. Proverbs For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel: Seek me that you may live, but do
not seek Bethel; Do not come to Gilgal or cross the Beer-Sheba. For Gilgal shall
be led to exile and Bethel shall become nothing.

10. Psalms Paul, Silvanus and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ: grace to you and peace from God our Father and the
Lord Jesus Christ.

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Name: Score:
Course/Year: Date:
Genres of the Bible

Directions: Read and analyse the text found in column B and find appropriate category among the
MAJOR GENRES of the bible as found in column A. Write your answers on the blank provided.

1. 6.

2. 7.

3. 8.

4. 9.

5. 10.

REFERENCES

Textbooks

Morgan, G. C. (1912). Living messages of the books of the Bible: Old and New Testments. New York: Fleming
H. Revell.

YOUCAT english: Youth cathecism of the Catholic Church. (2011). San Francisco: Ignatius Press.

Becoming a Household of God in the Old Testament (150 years of CICM in the Philippines) by CICM
Philippines

Online Reference

Fairchild, M. (n.d.). The Seven Days of Creation: What Happened on Each Day? Retrieved August 11, 2020,
from https://www.learnreligions.com/the-creation-story-700209

Learning Materials

1. Worksheets (teacher-made)
2. PowerPoint (teacher-made)

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